When someone is holding a gun to her head, it won't make any difference how big a pack she could carry.
Besides the obvious differences in physical capabilities and the issues of sexual relationships in a unit, just as important is the logistical chain. Women and men are different and have different needs (as if that wasn't obvious to everyone except liberals). The chain is going to be longer and more complicated.
Think of how that logistical chain would have worked out at the Chosin Reservoir had there been a 50-50 mix of men and women, when every single plane or truck carrying supplies was just not enough and they had to make do with what they had. No room for tampons or pads. Granted, a woman under stress in combat may have her menstrual period delayed or stunted, but lest anyone think that is not a factor in anything, one only has to imagine a situation where there are nothing more than torn up fatigues or rags to use to deal with a menstruation. Guys sometimes have to deal with things like crotch rot, which can be a real issue when a forced march has to take place. Imagine how it would be marching in an environment where your pants are caked in the crotch with dried/sticky blood.
And that is just one facet. This is a bad idea, and when things go bad, the people who pushed this the hardest are going to blame everything and everyone else. They will scream the loudest and longest.
Think East German Women’s Weight lifting Team circa 1968. Are those women really going to be sexually assaulted? By who?
This is really stupid, the percent of the female population that can hump 80-100 pound packs over rugged terrain is so small as to be insignificant. This whole thing is preposterous. The World has gone insane....You know the physical standards will be changed...
There maybe some women that can do the job..but I don't think there are many. If they can...rock on, I guess.
My main issue would be the emotional make up of the ladies. The age of these ladies, in my mind, don't make them fierce fighters. Too emotional.
Now, you get an older lady like myself..I could cut your liver out and feed it to my dogs if my loved ones were threatened. But physical strength becomes an issue. Now, if you could mix the strength of a young lady and the lack of emotion of an older one..you would have a fighting companion.
What worries me is with the repeal of DADT and women on the front lines...how many true warriors will enlist.